Discovering Something I Love!

Ending the day by finishing my charting

As I prepared to move away from Davis, Ca, after living there for six years, I remember feeling extremely nervous and excited for what lay ahead in the central coast. I knew that I was about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life as a dietetic intern, however, I did not know how life changing it was going to be.

The days flew by and the next thing I knew I was in the central coast preparing for the start of my internship with the Cal Poly SLO DI. I remember standing on campus during our orientation and just thinking to myself, “I cannot believe we are here, and I am an intern!” It all felt surreal to me! I had received my final schedule a few weeks prior, thus, I knew that in a few days I was starting off the internship with my clinical rotation at Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC)!

I remember walking into MRMC for the first time as if it was yesterday! I was carrying my backpack and wearing my white lab coat ready to start my 12 weeks of clinical! My rotation began with me getting the amazing opportunity to:

· Shadow RDs in a variety of outpatient settings including the diabetes, cancer, extended care, and bariatrics center!

· Within the hospital I got the opportunity to shadow all of my RD preceptors and the speech language pathologist!

After shadowing, it was time for me to put all my knowledge into practice! I started by working with patients who were in the ICU. As the weeks went by, I started working with patients in different

hospital floors including maternal, pediatrics and NICU patients. There was never a day when I did not learn something new, which is something that I absolutely loved about clinical. I also loved that throughout my clinical rotation there was always room for me to grow and improve as an intern. As I now look back at my notes and my first interaction with the patients and other health care professionals, I can see how far I’ve come since the start of my clinical rotation.

Tried the different supplements and

Glucerna was my favorite!

The first time I went into a patient’s room I was extremely nervous and remember looking to my wonderful preceptor for help. Now that I am at the end of my rotation, I am not only able to see patients by myself, but I also no longer get as nervous when I walk into a patient’s room or when speaking to the physician on the phone or during rounds and that makes me feel very proud of all of the growth that has happened within 12 weeks.

I went into my clinical rotation feeling nervous, excited, and scared but little did I know that it was going to be one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I absolutely loved my clinical rotation and I believe that a big part of the love that I have for clinical could not have been possible without all of my wonderful RD preceptors. They made me feel extremely welcomed, supported, and encouraged me to ask as many questions as I could possibly ask.

Enjoying a nice lunch with a fellow intern!

Therefore, to all my future interns, the best advice I can give to any future intern before starting any rotation whether it is your clinical, community or foodservice is to not be afraid to ask questions and do not be afraid to fail. There were multiple times during my clinical rotation where I stumbled to find the right words to say or write, but I was never too hard on myself as I knew each day was just another opportunity for me to grow and improve my skills. The last advice I can give is to:

· Go into each rotation with an open mind

· Not be afraid to try new things no matter how scary it may seem because you never know what it has in store.

Before starting my clinical rotation one of my biggest fears was doing enteral and parenteral calculations and speaking with other healthcare professionals, but little did I know that I was going to not only enjoy the nutrition support calculations, but that I was going to fall in love with clinical nutrition! Now I am thinking about possibly pursuing a career in a clinical setting as a future RD.